Swimmers’ Tour Begins At Kaikohe This Week

Northern Advocate, 19 December 1938, Page 2

Swimmers’ Tour Begins At Kaikohe This Week

Campaigning with the object of encouraging a knowledge of swimming four prominent New Zealand swimmers. Misses Mona Leydon. Kathleen Grey, Joyce Macdonald and Winnie Dunn will open a lour of the North this week at Kaikohe. It will be tour of instruction for all who wish to acquire a knowledge of How 1o Swim,

The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, stated that the tour of the four ladies was being made as the result of an arrangement between the Government (through the National Council of Physical Welfare and Recreation) and the New Zealand Amateur Swimming and LifeSaving Association. The object was to teach 75.000 persons to swim. Toward ihe cost of the campaign the Government had agreed io pay A3OOO. "This is a splendid practical effort

of all concerned," said Mr Parrv, io

leach our young people Ihc enjoyable and useful art of swimming, It is another way to save valuable lives, 'and the good work commenced will go on." The girls chosen are representative of the finest talent available in New Zealand today. Miss Leydon burst into the swimming limelight several years ago and has remained there since. At backstroke and freestyle she has broken Auckland records; at the present time she holds several Dominion titles. Like two other members of the team —Misses Dunn and Mac Donald —she represented New Zealand at the last Empire Games. Miss Grey, a seventeen-year-old member of the Otahuhu Club, is a daughter of Mr F. W. Grey, vicechairman of the Auckland Swimming Centre. She is the present Auckland sprint champion. Miss MacDonald specialises in backstroke and Miss, Dunn in breaststroke, both being New Zealand champions. Mrs Isaacs and her two charges from the South arrived by train at Auckland on Saturday morning from Wellington and were joined at the station by the Auckland members of the team, Misses Leydon and Grey. No definite instructions have yet been issued to the manager, apart from the fact that the team must be in Kaikohe by December 21. From there it will work slowly southward throughout the swimming season.